Goodbyes
by Arthasvs.Leon
Summary: My first fan fic and prelude to my Reign of the Blightbringer story, which is coming soon. Leon is packing for his mission, and has a visitor come to wish him well. A LeonClaire flirt and OneShot. Dedicated to Umbrella's Worst Enemy


Goodbyes

**Author's Disclaimer: **I don't own the rights to "Resident Evil". Never have. Never will.

Leon Scott Kennedy sighed softly as he rummaged through his closet, trying to find some spare clothes. He grabbed a handful of t-shirts and threw them unto the bed, their hangers still in the head. He smiled as he walked across the small bedroom to the six-tier dresser next to the door into the living room, pulled open the second drawer from the bottom, and gathered up all of the jeans he could find. After he had picked the drawer clean, he stood up, cradling the mass of denim in his arms, and kicked the drawer closed.

He tried to whistle as he dropped the jeans on his bed, and began to remove the hangers from his shirts. He tried to think of a good song to whistle to. Any song really. But his mind set itself to "Random" and shuffled through a variety of songs as he sampled them, trying to find a tune that agreed with him.

Spirit of the Radio

Red Barchetta

Stairway to Heaven

Rock of Ages

Love Me Do

Nothing seemed to put his mind at ease as he organized his outfits together and found his boxers and socks. He found himself whistling a tune of his own creation, trying to work on his own beat as he worked absent-mindedly on his clothes.

He kept whistling his own creation as he strolled back over to the closet and looked down at the floor of the cramped closet and found his old duffle bag lying on the floor. The once navy-blue bag was worn almost worn white from its years of service. The bag lied unzipped, gaping open like the mouth of a crocodile, patiently waiting for its feast.  
Leon smiled as he reached down and grabbed the bag by one of its grayed out handles, which were once as black as midnight, and pulled it from its resting spot. He swung the bag out of the closet and tossed it onto the bed.

Leon walked over to his bed and pulled the bag open again before he began to gather the bundles of clothes and placed them in carefully, meticulously. He tried to continue composing his tune as he worked on stuffing the bag with the clothes and items he would need for his trip. His hands moved like the well-trained machines they were as he gathered up whole outfits and fed them to the open maw of his bag and collected all the other items he would need.

As he filled the bag with his clothes, so did his mind fill with the same uneasy thoughts and feelings he always had when getting ready for a mission. It was a strange, uneasy feeling, almost as if someone was slowly filling his head with tiny chunks of ice. The feeling never hurt him or brought him to the point of surrender, but it was always there. An omnipotent and eternal presence in the back of his mind that gave him a sickly, uneasy feeling till he finally reached his destination. The feelings started small, a mere speck on the fabrics of his thoughts. Yet as he fed more clothes to his duffle, he seemed to be feeding the sick feeling in his mind at the same time.

Leon tried to whistle louder in an attempt to keep his mind off the sick, cold feeling as the chill began to run through the back of his thoughts. Yet the mere speck grew and began to stain his thoughts, polluting him with its chill and sending its icy daggers through his body.

"Shit…" Leon shivered and muttered. He was used to the feeling by now. He always had it when he traveled. It was a constant companion that always seemed to plague him, staring over his shoulder as he packed and always saw him off to the airport. The feeling stayed with him even when he would board the plane and would be his constant companion as they flew. However, for some reason, the feeling always left his body as he reached his destination. It was almost as if the sick feeling inside him was a fellow traveler who would simply pester him throughout the ride and part ways once they landed.

The survivor of the Raccoon Police Department shook his head and walked over to his desk, where an assortment of files and memos were lying. The folders containing the documents laid open, revealing the photos and notes inside them. Leon scanned them all one more time like a hunter observing the remains of his most recent kill.

His eyes rested on the photo at the top edge of the classified manila folder. The picture of the beautiful blonde girl smiling back at him had long lost its glossy luster, yet the image was still strong. He stared intently at the photo, trying to memorize the innocent smile, the somewhat round nose, the warm hazel eyes, and short-cut blonde hair of President Graham's daughter.

The image burned into his mind as he tried his best to memorize everything he could of the girl in the picture. He scanned the documents carefully, trying to gleam any more valuable data from the papers.

Suddenly, the buzz of his intercom woke Leon from his trance. He jerked his head up to the sound of the buzzing.

"Fuck." Leon said softly under his breath as he stood up and walked out of the bedroom.

The rest of his apartment was as small and bare as the bedroom he had just left. Pure white walls set up the boundaries of the combination living room/dining room/kitchen. The far side of the room served as a living room, with a simple couch and coffee table facing the small TV he had placed right across from them. A single, large window with sterile white blinds provided the room with enough natural illumination that Leon didn't need to turn on the lights.

Leon walked in the middle of the room and toward the front door, which was right next to the simple collection of counters, the stove, and fridge that made up his kitchen. A soul round table with four chairs surrounding it served as his dining room.

The intercom continued its incessant buzzing as Leon stalked over and pressed the button.

"Yes?" he called into the intercom.

"Hey there, comrade." A sweet, familiar voice called back through the mesh of the receiver. "Glad to see you're up and cheerful."

Leon blushed hot crimson and felt a thin smile of embarrassment emerge on his lips.

"Sorry." He said back into the intercom. "I just wasn't expecting a visitor today."

"Visitor?" The voice crackled back. Leon noticed it carried a hint of shock and confusion. "You asked me to drive you to the airport, remember?"

Leon grimaced for a second, his mind working overtime to try to process the last statement. Leon blushed again and scolded himself for forgetting that.

"Sorry Claire." He said into the intercom as he pressed the button to let her in.

He undid the chain to his door and turned the knobs on the four locks he had on the door.

Moments later, Clair Redfield knocked on the door before turning the knob and letting herself in.

Claire came in to the tiny apartment, smiling with a warmth that seemed to drive the chill out of Leon's mind. She was wearing her usual attire. Her sand-colored construction boots seemed to grow out of her worn jeans. A tan belt was wrapped around her waist, and a coming out of the top of the jeans and covering her top was a midnight black t-shirt with a motorcycle blazing across the front, with the words "Redfield Choppers" surrounding it in steely gray.

Leon smiled as his old friend entered the room. He couldn't help but feel his cold demeanor melt away as he saw her kind, pretty face. Her hair was wrapped in its normal ponytail, allowing Leon unobstructed viewing of her face.

"Hey stranger." Leon said in a soft, soothing tone he seemed to reserve only for Claire.

"Hey there yourself." Claire said warmly as she walked into the apartment. It was then that Leon saw the large square box cradled in her arms.

"What's that?" Leon said softly as his eyes dropped to the package.

Claire looked down at the package and smiled, her face glowing with excitement "I got you something."

Leon smiled softly as his head fell slightly to his right "A present? For me?"

Claire let out a light giggle as she held out the package to him with both hands. She presented him the parcel like a squire would present a sword to his knight.

Leon blushed crimson as he took the package from Claire. He looked down at the package cradled in his arms, and was surprised at how heavy it was.

_What did she get me? _Leon thought briefly, but he shrugged the thought off and carried the package back to his room.

"Almost ready?" Claire shouted to her friend as he went into the bedroom.

"Almost." Leon called back. He placed the package on his bed and walked back out of the room.

Claire was standing in the kitchen, smiling softly with her head tilted slightly to the side. Her lips were curved in a sort of playful style she reserved only for her friend.

Leon returned the smile in kind and said "Thanks for coming to pick me up."

"No problem." Claire said kindly. She kept her grin up and her eyes fixed on Leon. She studied all of his features, still utterly amazed how much he had changed in only a few years.

His arms were larger and more defined. His broad chest seemed to ripple inside his worn blue shirt. She knew from their trips to the beach and gym that his legs were just as developed and matured as his arms were.

Yet the most growth seemed to be visible on his face. He still maintained his young innocent look, but it was weathered and worn from six years of training, fighting, stress, and warfare. His cobalt eyes even told more of the story. She could see buried deep in the sea of azure the sleepless nights that he had to endure. She could see the horrors those eyes had witnessed reflecting back at her.

Yet… despite everything those eyes had bore witness to, what they reflected, she always seemed to find comfort in them. If she could, she would spend hours just staring into them, losing herself in that infinite sea of blue which held so much darkness, yet still offered her comfort.

_Do you want something to drink or something?_ A distant voice echoed in her mind as she fell into his eyes.

_What?_ She could feel an echo escape her mind and call out to the voice that cried out to her.

"I said did you want something to eat or drink?" Leon repeated himself, snapping Claire out of her trance and back to reality.

Claire found herself gasping slightly as she was snapped out of her waking dream in Leon's eyes. She looked at her friend's face, only to see him give her a look of total confusion and worry.

Frantically, Claire tried her best to regain her composure. "Uh… yeah, sure. That'd be awesome."

Leon looked at his friend through a pair of concerned eyes. "Okay." Was all he said as he made his way to the fridge. "What do you feel like?"

Claire turned to face Leon, only to be greeted by her dear friend's backside. At first, she tried to look away, but she felt her eyes slowly draw themselves to Leon as he rummaged through the fridge. Though he was only slightly bent over in the fridge, Claire was still treated to a good view of Leon's perfect ass, which seemed to be accented by his jeans.

She felt herself turn hot with embarrassment, yet still fed her urge to watch her very vulnerable friend. Why? She had no idea. It wasn't like her to do this. To anyone. She didn't even do this to her boyfriend when they went out.

But with Leon, it was different. She didn't know why… but it didn't feel weird to stare at him like that. It felt… right

"Claire?" Leon said and turned slightly, nearly catching Claire in the act of staring. "You okay?"

Claire quickly tried to divert her eyes to Leon's face. She didn't know if he caught her staring. And frankly, she didn't want to risk it.

"Uh… yeah." She said. "I'll take a water."

Leon smiled and reached in to grab a bottle of water. He had a strange feeling about Claire today. He didn't know why, but he felt like Claire's mind wasn't in the right place right now.

_And I think you know why, stupid._ A voice said to him sternly. He had no idea what part of his mind the voice spoke for, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.

Leon turned slowly and offered Claire the water bottle, which she greatly accepted.

Claire smiled softly as she unscrewed the cap and took a sip. "So… do you have everything packed?"

Despite the fact that he was tired from all the reading, researching, memorizing and packing that he was doing at the moment, Leon was still sharp enough to catch the tone in Claire's voice.

It wasn't her normal tone. It sounded almost… sad. Almost… depressed.

Leon nodded and said "Uh… yeah. I do. I just need to gather my files, zip up, and head out."

Claire nodded and found herself adding quickly "Everything settled with your landlord?"

Leon looked at her with a frown. Of course everything was settled with the landlord. He and the landlord agreed that whenever Leon went away on a business trip, the landlord would just take the funds for his rent out of his bank account.

"Yeah." He replied with a cock-eyed look.

_What's up with Claire?_

Leon and Claire were silent for the longest time. Neither of them talked. Instead, they stared deep into each other's eyes, observing each others faces.

Even after all the horrors that they had encountered and the years of working with machinery, Claire was still a beautiful woman to behold. Her skin was still soft and smooth, though the years of fighting and working with her hands had left her hands worn. Not that Leon minded that. Especially when the two of them would hold hands.

Her face had lost none of its youth or vigor in the fires of war. Nothing had seemed to scar her. At least, there were no scars that could be seen. Not without staring into her eyes.

Her eyes were the only place that seemed to age at all. Like Leon, Claire's eyes told the whole story of their six years together. They told the tale of the blood they had spilt fighting Umbrella both on the battlefield and in the courtroom, the tales of horrors and terrors in the bowels of the corporate strongholds of Umbrella.

The two old friends locked together for a moment. Their arms found each other and they found themselves being instantly drawn to each other. Their bodies were drawn together like a pair of magnets. For the briefest minute, they were silent in this inexplicable moment that they seemed so lost in. A moment they did not know how they got in. A moment they did not know how to break out of.

Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming, the squeals of children, and the shouts of parents broke the spell binding the two friends, who turned to face the sounds that awoke them. They turned to face each other, their faces suddenly turned hot with embarrassment and they released each other as quickly as they could.

Leon was still hot and pink when he asked "Claire… are you sure you're okay?"

Claire smiled in humiliation and decided to finally speak the truth "Well… yeah. I am. It's just…"

She found the words stuck in her throat as she tried to talk. She tried to force the words out before they choked her, and felt her eyes leave her friend as she tried to speak.

"I'm just gonna miss you, that's all." She felt the words fly out of her in a single stream. Nothing seemed to stop them once they came out. And once they did… she felt like she could breathe again.

Leon smiled softly and said "I'm not gonna be long. I'm not gonna be gone more than a few weeks. A few months at the most. I'll be back. You know that."

Claire smiled back at her friend. But Leon knew it was only a front. Her eyes were filled with worry and fear. For some reason, Leon felt uneasy staring into her eyes. Not because of the fear and doubt. But because of something else. Something…

Without any warning, Claire wrapped her arms around Leon, catching him by surprise. He gasped slightly as he felt her warm body wrap around him. Her strength surprised him as he felt her hold him tight.

Leon kept his smile on as he gently wrapped his arms around his old friend. The two of them had been through a lot together. Been through Hell more times than either of them dare count. And now… Leon was going off alone.

The pair loosely cradled each other for a minute before Leon asked "So, what did you get me?"

Claire smiled wickedly and said "Wanna see?"

Leon grinned back and nodded, earning him a punch on the chest as Claire ran out of his arms and into his bedroom, grinning all the way.

Leon kept his grin on as he followed Claire into the bedroom. He stood at the threshold of the room as Claire pulled open the package and pulled out a beautiful leather bomber jacket.

Claire smiled as she saw her friend's jaw drop in shock and awe. She knew he had wanted this jacket since the two of them saw it hanging on a rack in that coat shop in the mall, yet they both knew Leon could never afford it.

Fortunately for Leon, Claire could.

"Claire…" was all Leon could gasp out as he slowly advanced on the jacket. He let out his hands and slowly reached out to feel the leather. It felt like nothing he ever felt before. He could feel a rush of excitement as he caressed the leather finish, ran his fingers across the straps, and felt the inner lining.

Claire could feel a warmth overcome her as she saw Leon's face light up.

"Wanna try it on?" She asked gently, knowing full well what the answer would be.

Leon said not a word as he allowed Claire to slip the jacket onto his body. He felt a wave of pleasure overtake him as he allowed the jacket to engulf him.

Claire took a step back and admired her friend and his sleek new look. She had to admit, he looked sharp.

Leon looked down at the jacket. He smiled at Claire. He felt the leather. He posed. Claire grinned madly as she watched her friend enjoy his present.

"Claire…" Leon said as he wrapped his best friend in the biggest hug he could muster "Thank you."

Claire smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Leon. "Good luck, Leon."

Leon looked down and said "Hey… I've got a good luck charm now. This means so much to me. Thank you."

The two friends embraced for a while longer before Claire said "Need help finishing up?"

Leon grinned madly and nodded.

Claire kept her smile on her lips as she helped gather up his files, load them into his bag, and zip it shut.

Leon grabbed his bag and followed his friend out of the bedroom. His tiny apartment was bare and dark now, devoid of all signs of life.

"So," Claire said as she held the door open for him. "Shall we?"

Leon took one last solemn look at his home, and nodded. Without another word, he walked out of the apartment, and out into the hall.

Claire slowly shut the door, allowing Leon to lock it one more time before they began the trek to Claire's car.


End file.
